So I have a few piercings and whatnot, but other than the metal I put in my head, I typically only wear one piece of jewelry. Not a bracelet, not a ring (hey, ladies!), just my Apple Watch. I haven’t bought many straps for it. I had a few here and there, and I had a few repurposed Pebble straps, but for the most part, I wasn’t replacing my watch straps very often. My Apple Watch was a utilitarian object, little more.
Then I fell in love with the way my (Product)Red Apple Watch looks and realized I needed new bands to go with it. The black and gold motif was okay, but it didn’t fit my new Apple Watch as well as my old one. So, it was time to accessorize.
I realized I do case reviews because I go through so many cases over the lifetime of my iPhone. Why not do the same for watch straps, which last several iterations of the Apple Watch? My watch strap from my first Apple Watch Series 1 still works with my Series 6. Surely we can chat about straps.
So today we’ll start with the first third party strap I ordered for my Apple Watch (because most of Apple’s straps are ugly), the Archer canvas watch strap.
In This Article:
Why the Archer Canvas Strap?
You know, it’s red. It matches. You’re likely thinking, “Gee, did Danielle just type ‘Red Apple Watch strap’ into Google?” You’re wrong in so many ways! First of all, I don’t use Google, I use Ecosia, and you should too. Go plant some trees, people, they don’t plant themselves! Well, they do, just not enough to make up for all we’ve cut down.
Secondly, I searched for a “Red canvas Apple Watch strap,” thank you very much. Why canvas? Canvas is made from cotton or hemp. Most other rugged watches in this style are made of nylon. Nylon is a synthetic fabric, and one that contributes to microplastics in our oceans and environment. Those are bad, folks. Perhaps that’s why Apple decided to stop selling their Nylon Apple Watch.
The Archer canvas strap is a vibrant, classic-looking strap, with the kind of rugged appearance nylon-based NATO straps are known for. I had to try it out.
Comfort and Canvas?
When you think of canvas, you likely think of rugged back packs. Perhaps you consider sneakers, like classic Converse sneakers. Or maybe you just think of something to paint on. Regardless, your first thought may not be, “Hey, I want that rough fabric on my skin all day.”
This is where things get surprising, it’s not rough. In fact, it feels very soft. Archer uses softened canvas, which retains its breathability without sacrificing comfort. They say this is a flexible material, but out of the box it didn’t seem to be. In fact, it was very rigid and a little difficult to get fitted properly. But a few hours later it had adapted to the curves of my wrist. Once it did, it was perfectly comfortable. I even frequently wear it to sleep. I didn’t think a canvas strap could be so comfortable, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
Part of the reason I don’t wear jewelry is because I am quite fidgety. I get annoyed feeling the same thing all day. I like the look of some of my bracelets, but I find I can’t consistently get myself to wear them. Rings are the absolute worst. I have no idea how people wear them all day without going crazy. So, coming from my discomfort with jewelry, when I say this watch strap is comfortable enough that I largely forget it, I mean it.
Build Quality
You can use high pressure water to cut out pieces of metal to within-micron specs. Fabric? That’s a different story. Every piece of fabric, even if developed on a machine, is going to be a little different. But I don’t want to treat small inconsistencies as a comment on build quality necessarily. After all, some imperfections work great, and if they never fail you, and look fine, what’s the worry?
I say this because there are parts of the watch strap that aren’t quite perfect. The stitching isn’t completely perfect, the embroidery around the adjustment holes is just a bit off in areas. This feels like character, and doesn’t get in the way of the watch strap’s looks or functionality. I mean, there is embroidery reinforcement around every watch strap hole. That’s dedication! This helps keep the canvas from fraying. In the weeks I’ve been testing it, it hasn’t pulled apart or shown signs of wear.
This is soft and comfortable, but it’s still canvas. That means it can take some wear and tear. Canvas isn’t perfect. I tore through some brand new Converse sneakers in just a few minutes skateboarding. But if you’re not rubbing canvas up against grip tape repeatedly, it’ll hold up to the occasional bump and scrape. There’s a reason it’s used in so much camping and outdoors gear. Canvas isn’t kevlar or carbon fiber, but this woven fabric isn’t going to fall apart if it’s well constructed either, and these straps seem to be. If they’re not, I’ll have to update this section in a year or two.
Drying
If you get this watch strap completely wet, you’re going to want to take it off to dry. The strap is water-resistant and is hand or machine washable in cold water, but it takes over 2 hours to dry if just left out. I eventually pointed a fan at them, which dried them up much more quickly.
Slow drying isn’t a problem you’d have with silicone or even nylon watch straps. However, canvas is more breathable, and perhaps more importantly, is much better for the environment than either other option.
Looks
This is a simple, classic strap. There’s a buckle, two strap loops, and that’s it. However, that classic style is combined with canvas for a rugged yet clean appearance. Personally, I love the rugged yet understated look. Big bulky watch straps and phone cases may not be my thing, but a simple canvas strap? Personally, I think that looks great.
Archer did a great job completing this look. There’s slightly lighter colored stitching to accent the canvas, along with embroidered sizing holes. This both improves the strength and the appearance of the strap. I also like how the lugs come out from the strap with just a bit of tapering, so the transition from the watch to the strap isn’t so sudden.
As with anything that has a sort of vintage, rugged look, it’s not going to be perfect in all situations. You’ll likely find it works great for around the house, exercise, and going to the office, but for formal situations, it’s a little too casual.
Overall: 4/5
This has become one of my favorite watch straps. It’s comfortable, it’s bright and vibrant, matching my red Apple Watch, and it’s got classic rugged looks. This is a band I can literally wear all day and night without it bothering me, which is more than I can say for most watch bands. I’m a casual kind of person, and can wear a casual watch band all the time. I also tend to take falls frequently, having downhill longboarding in my list of hobbies. I need at least a few straps that don’t fall apart easily. The Archer canvas strap works perfectly for me, and it looks good doing it.
Score Breakdown
Looks: 4/5. Looks are subjective. To try to remove that subjectivity, I rank items more on how they achieve the look they’re going for. A narrow, elegant, silver band may not be my style, but if it’s something that looks like what they’re going for, it’ll get a high rating here. The Archer strap has classically rugged good looks, without being too uncouth to look out of place on a woman’s wrist or at an office.
Quality: 3.5/5 I hated to dock so much off of this, but the lugs don’t fit perfectly. They wiggle in the Apple Watch. The strap itself is well constructed, though has some fraying and, while the stitching gives it character, it isn’t always perfect. This would have a much higher rating if the lugs had better fitment.
Comfort: 4.5/5 If you, like me, don’t like much jewelry outside of your Apple Watch, then this is likely the most important aspect to you. This band is comfortable enough to wear all day and night, however, it’s not quite as unnoticeable on the wrist as something like the Nike Sport Band, and it doesn’t dry as quickly either. Otherwise, a perfectly comfortable strap.
Fit: 4/5 “Fit” I determine as the adjustability of the watch band. How easy is it to get a band to fit? I find the Archer strap is just in between sizes for me. However, because the material has no flex, I can’t just pick the tighter size and wait for it to loosen up a bit. It fits my wrist well enough (blood O2 still works), but it could be a little better.